California Culinary Academy

Hello everyone -

I was wondering if anyone in this forum had been through the Pastry Arts program at the California Culinary Academy. I will be attending in May and was looking for some "real life" advice, tips, what to expect and so on (about your time there and after you graduated also).

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I am very excited about going, but know nobody who has been through the program with the intention of working as a pastry chef afterwards (only know one person who did it as a hobby!)

thanks much!

life at cca

yes i'm at cca now. and here's the insider's scoop :rolleyes:

i really like the chef instructers here -- they are all extremely knowledgeable and helpful. i have learned so much and so many things i didn't know i didn't know. the education i am getting is well worth it, i think.

but of course, there are a few things i don't like. the admissions to get into this school are nonexistent - if you have the money or can get the financial aid you can get into this school. this of course means that a large proportion of the students have no real world experience and some are just here because they have nothing better to do. it can make things stressful at times because not everyone has the same level of devotion to the class and doing well. of course, you would probably find this is just about any other school too.

the class sizes here are too big -- when i interviewed here they said the classes wouldn't be more than 20 students -- my class has 28 -- very tight spaces and running into people all the time. i hope they are telling the students the small class size anymore because its a lie.

what else ... the school is not in the best part of town, although you know that if you've visited. don't live in the dorms if you can avoid it.

other than those issues, i really am enjoying school. i am working my but off in breads class right now -- it's a production kitchen and it runs you ragged, which is great experience for the real world. as i said before i have no complaints about the instuctors, in fact i think they're what make this school great.

and also, i love being in san francisco, but that's an east coast girl talking, not everyone likes this area as much as i do.

do you have anything in specific you'd like to know. i'm just writing what i can think of right now. let me know. i'd love to be of some help as you make your decision where to go.

hope that helps

dunk

wannabake - are you interested in the aos (associate degree) program or baking & pastry program? I am in the baking & pastry program and I think it is one of the best in the country -- but there are not a lot of just baking & pastry programs in this country to choose from. For the 9 mo that i am in school and for what i am learning and the fast pace i am learning at - it's an awesome program. Very few other schools could offer me this. I am very happy with the education i am getting because I am learning so much and at a very fast pace so it is challanging too.

If you are interested in an associates degree or even bachelors, i would definitly look elsewhere. there are no prereqs to get into the aos program here and a lot of the aos students are here because they couldn't get in anywhere else. i definitly think there are better aos programs at other schools, although i have never specifically looked into them because that's not what i was interested in.

As far as students of all levels in a classroom, all schools i think will have that. there are such a wide variety of experiences in my class and ages also, but the rate of the class doesn't change -if you can't keep up, you better learn how to and i can almost guarantee the class doesn't go too slow for anyone. they cram a lot in --- we are in class 8hrs/day, 5 days/wk.

the classroom size is a cause for concern but i have never felt that a chef instructor doesn't have time for me or anything. if anything i feel bad for them because sometimes they run around like crazy answering all our questions and helping everyone. but i will reiterate what i said before -- the instuctors at this school are fabulous. they always make time for any help you need. if you need special attention, all you have to do is ask, and it will happen. sometimes i don't know how they do it, but they are always there for you. in the class i have now, we have a chef instructor and an associate chef instructor who assists, so the school is trying to make accomodations for large classes by giving us two instuctors. it's just hard to maneuver around a kitchen with 26 other students in it.

i hope this answered your questions. if not, let me know and i'll try to elaborate. choosing a school is tough because it's a huge output on $$. i am happy with my choice and i'm happy with the education i am getting. i just wish i could make a few minor adjustments.

dunk

ps i think my roi will be fine. i know i won't be making a lot of money the first year or two after i graduate, but once i gain the necessary experience and i have the education to back me, the $$$ should follow

chef jake, chef devon and chef nick are all still here. i had chef jake for cakes class and will have both chef nick and chef devon later on in other classes. my breads instructor is chef mike. he's been here about 5 yrs so it may be after you left. he's great -- very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does.

our classes are now 6wks long each and they added human resource management and cost control to our schedule.

as far as the b&p program at cia napa, i've haven't heard very many good thing about it -- it's a pretty new program, right? i heard it's more expensive than cca's program and not as intensive. but, that's only hearsay, i have never been there or looked into their program at all. just some of the students in my class did and they chose cca over cia napa.

chefclaycollins - i'm wondering if the cca graduates you hired were aos students or b&p. i always hear negative stuff about cca graduates, but then hear that it's the aos students (which is why i recommened to wannabake not to come here if she was looking for an aos program). i actually haven't heard much about what potential employers thought of cca b&p graduates. i'm very curious to know, obviously since i will soon be one! i would love to hear your opinion because whatever it is, you probably aren't the only one to share it and its something i should be ready for.

as for me though, i hope that when i apply places i don't get rejected just because cca is on my resume -- i would hope they would realize that every student is different -- some are good, some are bad and that they would give me a chance to prove myself. that's all i'm looking for - to get my foot in the door and be given an opportunity to work my butt off and bake and see where it takes me.

dunk

hmmm - that's kind of funny, i was planning on staying in sf after i graduate. i think this is a great place to get a start and learn the ropes. but after that i don't know what i'll be doing - just see where the wind takes me...maybe nevada city, although i have no idea where that is...i'm still really new to california and haven't had a chance to venture outside of sf yet.

wannabake -- the only reason i sound unsure about cia napa is because i myself have never looked into it so i really have no idea about it at all. i don't want you to make your decision about cia based on me and my hearsay -- go check it out!

ok, have to get back to the dough:) making sourdough starter today and some pane de campagne (french country bread). mmmmm, bread.

dunk

spa-tula

Spoons - I just about fell off my chair laughing! Yes, Chef Jake still says spa-tula and as a result so does everyone in my class. After hearing him say that for 6 weeks straight, it's ingrained. What can I say!? Did you get a chance to visit the school? I have no idea about alumni news or anything.

Anyways, I just wanted to tell you about my most recent experiences here at CCA. First the great news -- if you are planning on going to CCA and staying in the area after you graduate -- there are a lot of alumni around here. I was really nervous about my job situation and possibilities so I volunteered at several different events to see if I could do some networking(a great tool which I highly recommend -- just one or two saturdays at a culinary event or function works wonders!). Anyways, at the last one I did, I met a lady who graduated from here and was looking for a pastry assitant in her new restaurant and she asked me it i'd be interested ---YES! Anyways, I did a try-out there last Sat. & it went well and she wants me to work there on Saturdays until I graduate and then possibly go full time. I'm very excited, and even if the full-time thing doesn't work out, I am getting some great experience.

Now, for the bad days at CCA --- I know I've said it before, but I have to say it again -- Don't live in the Dorms!!! Our elevator was broken for a month, they fixed it, it worked for a week, now it's broken again (I know, great exercise, right :rolleyes: ). And, to make matter even more fun, the sewer pipes burst in our basement (for the second time) and that's where the laundry room is. What a pain in the butt!!

Dunk